Basic Chinese Personal Pronouns You Should Know!
In this article, let’s learn some basic personal pronouns used in Chinese. The personal pronouns that’ll be covered include:
我, 你, 您, 他, 她, 我们, 你们, 他们 and 她们
Let’s look at some sample sentences and learn to use them in daily lives.
我(wǒ, I)
我今天要去学校看书。
wǒ jīn tiān yào qù xué xiào kàn shū.
I’m going to school to read book.
我的名字叫李芳。
wǒ de míng zi jiào lǐ fāng.
My name is called Li Fang.
你(nǐ, you)
你明天下午去哪里逛街？
nǐ míng tiān xià wǔ qù nǎ lǐ guàng jiē?
Where are you going shopping tomorrow afternoon?
这种人你不能相信。
zhè zhǒng rén nǐ bù néng xiāng xìn.
You can't trust such a person.
您(nín, you, polite)
This is the polite term to use when you are talking to an elder, superior or even strangers. It is used to convey respect.
您好，请问东湖路怎么走？
nín hǎo, qǐng wèn dōng hú lù zěn me zǒu?
Hello, may I ask how to get to Donghu Road?
您好，欢迎来北京。
nín hǎo, huān yíng lái běi jīng.
Hello, welcome to Beijing.
他(tā, he)
Although both he and she are pronounced at “tā”, the writing is different. For male 他, it has the “standing person” radical.
他今年夏天会去日本留学。
tā jīn nián xià tiān huì qù rì běn liú xué.
He is going to study in Japan this summer.
他最近在学汉语。
tā zuì jìn zài xué hàn yǔ.
Recently, he’s learning Chinese.
她(tā, she)
On the other hand, for the female 她, it has the “female” radical instead.
她的兴趣爱好有弹钢琴，画画儿和听音乐。
tā de xìng qù ài hào yǒu tán gāng qín, huà huà er hé tīng yīn yuè.
Her hobbies are playing the piano, painting and listening to music.
她平时经常去电影院看电影。
tā píng shí jīng cháng qù diàn yǐng yuàn kàn diàn yǐng.
She usually often goes to the cinema to watch movies.
我们(wǒ men, we)
The personal pronouns covered above are all singular, to make them plural, add “们” behind it.
今天天气不错，我们一起去钓鱼吧。
jīn tiān tiān qì bú cuò, wǒ men yì qǐ qù diào yú ba.
The weather is nice today, let's go fishing together.
我们的老师今天生病了，所以没来教课。
wǒ men de lǎo shī jīn tiān shēng bìng le, suǒ yǐ méi lái jiāo kè.
Our teacher was sick today, so he didn't come to teach the class.
你们(nǐ men, you, plural)
你们的计划有任何进展吗？
nǐ men de jì huà yǒu rèn hé jìn zhǎn ma?
Is there any progress on your plans?
一会儿就要下雨了，你们还是别去游乐场了。
yí huǐ'er jiù yào xià yǔ le, nǐ men hái shì bié qù yóu lè chǎng le.
他们(tā men, they, male and female)
If the people you are referring to are purely males or a mix of both males and females, use 他们 as the personal pronoun.
他们是非常好的朋友，经常一起聊天。
tā men shì fēi cháng hǎo de péng you, jīng cháng yì qǐ liáo tiān.
They are very good friends and often chat together.
他们家离学校不远，走路五分钟就到了。
tā men jiā lí xué xiào bù yuǎn, zǒu lù wǔ fēn zhōng jiù dào le.
Their home is not far from the school, only a five-minute walk away.
她们(tā men, they, female)
If the people you are referring to are purely females, use this rather than 他们.
她们经常一起去逛街。
tā men jīng cháng yì qǐ qù guàng jiē.
They often go shopping together.
下个月她们会一起去北京旅游。
xià gè yuè tā men huì yì qǐ qù běi jīng lǚ yóu.
Next month they will travel to Beijing together.
Hope that this article helps you to distinguish the different personal pronouns and better use them in your daily life. Stay tuned to this blog to learn more about various topics related to learning Chinese! If you want to improve your Chinese to the next level, contact us to find our what suits you the best. We offer all types of Chinese courses to adult learners.